Faith and almost some tears from a feeling of some sort!

This week has been a super slow week, we've had to drop a few of our investigators.

The work didn't really pick up until about Thursday when Elder Ha came on exchange with Elder Jeong and I. We had a pretty fun time with tracting and contacting people. We were talking to some of these kids about our message and again one of them asked the question how do you know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. I replied to his question with "because I have prayed to God to know the answer and he gave me the answer through the feeling of the spirit." He then said, "That's not enough I need biblical evidence or else I won't believe." I then asked him a question, "Why would God lie to us, if we truly want to know?" He fell silent after that. In the end of the kids accepted a pamphlet and agreed to read it.

We were also able to teach a new investigator this week. His name is Yim. He has a very vast knowledge of the Bible but told us he has an open mind towards other religions. Our first lesson with him was ok, we did find out that he had pretty recently lost his wife. We taught him part of the Plan of Salvation. Afterward we set up another appointment  for Sunday at 3:30.

The rest of the exchange was really great and we accomplished a lot.

Saturday we went to Bellevue, weren't able to teach very much because people just kept canceling on us. However, we did teach a recent convert lesson to Bro. Jeon about faith. I used a few scriptures from the book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. I can't remember them right now so I will send you the references later.

On Sunday we taught Yim again. This time President Kahng and his wife came along with us. We did our best to teach the Restoration but Yim would keep interrupting us. I really was struggling to feel the spirit in that lesson, until President Kahng talked about the importance of the message we share and what we have sacrificed as missionaries just to share that message. At that moment I could really feel Heavenly Father's love and appreciation towards me and what I was trying to do. It was almost enough to make a grown man cry, but not today (so I pulled those tears back). It truly was an amazing experience. We finished the lesson and scheduled another one for this Sunday.

This week I have learned a lot about faith and what it can bless us with as long as we trust that God will do, as we ponder what we ask and have the faith that we will receive it. I have changed my prays immensely, because of this and I have been really trying to ask in faith for specific things.

Well that was my amazing week and may or may not be in the Korean Branch next week. So ya'alls have a nice week and remember to pray in faith.

Elder R.K. Northrup

So the other night I had dropped my pencil in some stuff on the ground and so I tried my best to be Luke Skywalker trying to get his lightsaber out of snow with the force.

Service with a Crooked Smile :-}

Well this week has been half awesome and half something else.

We had a pretty good start to our week, pdays are usually pretty good. 

Then Tuesday we had exchanges. It was the most glorious day. I got to go see some of my favorite families. We did some service for Sister Partl and enjoyed her company. The Liders are doing well, however, they may be moving to New York, which I am pretty sad about. We also got to go teach Ricardo, he is still a spiritual giant. He is going through some road bumps, so keep him in your prayers. I also got to know Elder Jolley a little bit better and he is super awesome. He is going to try to become a movie Director. If that happens I will be watching all of his movies.

Wednesday we re-exchanged and then the rest of the day went normally.  Mostly nothing happened that day, which is the usual.  (Even though we try to accomplish something.)

Thursday morning I was notified that I had received a parking ticket, which as you all know, is just wonderful news.  Then, our whole zone went to a service luncheon.  It was the most awkward thing.  We were being forced to sit at tables without other missionaries.  A lot of the people we would sit by would just give us the cold shoulder.  Oh well, their loss for not accepting the opportunity of a lifetime.  Then we had our weekly planning and did companionship inventory with the zone leaders.  It was pretty good.  Afterward we went and taught a guy who knows that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church.  His problem though is if he comes to church then he will be mocked and falsehoods will be told about him by non-members.  On top of that, his family might disown him.  I tried sharing with him Mormon 9:31 and talked about how nobody has the right to condemn him.  Then we invited him to read the Book of Mormon, especially 1 Nephi 8.

On Saturday we did some service for a member. We went to go mow his lawn. We got the lawn mower out and Elder Jeong took it to the backyard and couldn't start it, first face-palm. I taught him how to start it and then I explained to him how you mow a lawn. Well that apparently meant nothing to him, because as I watched him mow the lawn I just started face-palming over and over in my mind. He didn't follow the cut grasses line, he kinda just let the lawn mower pull him all over the yard. In the end I basically had to go back over the whole thing. I honestly didn't think I was going to have to teach someone how to mow a lawn until I was a Dad. I guess God had different plans. Later in the day we went to President Kahng's house to teach a bunch of the members and seek for some referrals from them. Most of that conversation was in Korean so I wasn't able to pick up much of it. However, we did get some advice on how we could get a hold of some our "missionary avoidance investigators".

The next day was great. We were able to partake of the Sacrament! Boo-yah! After church we did our studies. We then made our way over to Auburn where we were having dinner with one of our members. He is the translator for the Korean Branch. That family is super awesome. They are currently writing a fantasy novel so obviously I had to be a nerd with them for a bit. There fantasy novel is also going to have references to the plan of Salvation throughout the story. Which I think is such an awesome idea. They also said they would read the Fantasy novels that I suggested to them.

Now for this morning, I was forced against my will to do service for some members. Sometimes in the Korean Branch we don't get to exercise our agency. I was a kinda ticked that we were having to help out with this member's yard when we could have done it any other day except for today. Oh well, I guess we will be blessed for it.

I love all of you. This church is true, I am getting old for a missionary....and I'm a mormon.

Elder R.K. Northrup

Nothing Much

Nice View! (Golf Course?? Like Father like Son!)

This week, not a lot has happened.

We were able to teach a lesson with a new investigator. We taught her the Restoration and we know that she totally felt the spirit. We bore our testimonies and gave her the baptismal invitation. However, that is when she decided to use her agency incorrectly. Major table flip! We invited her to be baptized if she came to know if this gospel is true and yet again she reject us. She just told us that she is completely fine. In my mind I was just thinking... "Wrong answer"...but I remembered that every being has their agency and we have to do our best to respect their choices.

Most of our investigators are falling off their baptismal dates. They all seem to have moved to Antarctica or that we missionaries have the plague or something, because they won't answer their doors when we stop by. 

On the good side of things Cho Sung Bin is still reading the Book of Mormon and we have a lesson with him on Wednesday this week. I really feel that God has prepared this person to accept this Gospel, that he will find that these Doctrines are from God, and have the desire to repent and be baptized. I appreciate the prayers for him!  Keep up the good work.

The other upside is that one of our members is a bomb member missionary. He is doing all he can to get us referrals.  We pray that he will find some people everyday. We were also able to listen to his testimony the other day and he related some stories that created a gospel learning experience for him. He is an incredible member. His name is Bro. Rushton.

Well sorry it is such a short letter this week. Have a great week. Read the scriptures and continually come unto Christ. Love you guys.

Elder R.K. Northrup

PGA Championships played here in 2015

WOW!

Nice!

One of my favorite Elders... Elder Higginson (Higgy-baby) from Bountiful.

The Walking Missionary........ BAAAPPPTTTIISSM

Well this week has been another improvement week for the Korean Branch, which is super good.

We were able to get 2 new investigators and 1 who is currently reading book of Mormon. In our lesson with him he told us that as he reads he will pray and seek to know if what it contains is true. He said that once he does that then he will be ready to be baptized! Heck yeah! I have a strong feeling that this is a being who is ready to partake of the sacred ordinance of baptism.  The other new investigator is a 16 yr. old who we taught on the spot. We committed him to baptism and he accepted. These two people are Cho Sung Bin and Austin. They are great and will be in our prayers.

We also went on exchanges this week and I got to go with my old companion, Elder Moon! It was a terrible exchange though. Here's why... because we were both in the Korean Branch for the exchange. Which was totally a problem since neither one of us can speak very good Korean. Oh well, we just made do with the issue.

We head to Bellevue for the day, to try and do some member inspires. The first house we knocked on nobody answered. We drove to the next house and knocked and I turn back to say something to Elder Moon, suddenly my nose transformed into a Volcano! There was so much blood! I had blood on my face on my hands and a couple other things. I basically looked like the walking dead. It was pretty ridiculous. We then ended up having to head back to Federal Way for the rest of the day, just so I could be more presentable in public. (Which is probably a good thing.) After that episode we had dinner and just went tracting the rest time.

Then General Conference came around. I felt so rested during the many sessions of Conference that I was able to listen to. My favorites were......basically all of them. I really enjoyed Elder Holland's because I could just feel the love that the General Authorities had for us and everyone. It was incredible.

Anyways I love you guys.

Elder R.K. Northrup

Down for the count!

Volcanic eruption!